Pay for Performance and Teacher Job Satisfaction: A Mixed-Methods Study =Pago por Mérito y Satisfacción de Mastros en el Trabajo: Un Estudio de Métodos Mezaclados

摘要

Proponents of teacher pay for performance suggest that it reflects American values by rewarding student achievement and encouraging hard work. Supporters also say that pay for performance helps to recruit and retain teachers by increasing their compensation. Critics counter that pay for performance erodes teacher collaboration, is difficult to monitor, cannot be reliably linked to student achievement, leads to dishonest reporting of test scores, and is not a long-term solution to low teacher pay. Some researchers have found that extrinsic reward systems, such as pay for performance, can cancel the benefits that intrinsic motivation provides. As policy makers consider different pay for performance models, the link to teacher job satisfaction warrants investigation. This study examined pay for performance using the theoretical framework of Self Determination Theory. This theory suggests that employees find satisfaction when they have freedom in how they pursue organizational goals (autonomy), when they are given opportunities to improve job skills (mastery), and when employees feel they make a difference in the world (purpose). This study investigated pay for performance's effect on teacher job satisfaction in a small, rural school district. An evaluation of both quantitative data and qualitative data determined that pay for performance can contribute to teacher job satisfaction, but only under the right conditions. This study concludes with a list of suggestions for implementing a pay for performance program that is likely to contribute to teacher job satisfaction.